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9/22/2053
Seattle goes 6-0 to take over the Power Rankings top spot. It appears that everything is coming up all Pilots as they have a 1.5 game lead in the Bock and a 77% chance of winning the division. Not to be outdone though were the Hartford Whalers. They turned in the 'Happy Unicorn' by going 7-0. They have now reeled off 10 straight wins, are 76-76, and have an 18% chance of going to the postseason. After putting together a winning August, they are now 16-4 in September. Do you believe in miracles? Another top week was Baltimore who went 5-1. They have tied Carolina at 75-77 as both them and the Tobs appear to be playoff bound.
Power Ranking
1) Seattle Pilots (125.5, ++)
2) Washington Bats (122.6, -)
3) New Orleans Voodoo (115.1, o)
4) California Kodiaks (111.6, -)
5) Hartford Whalers (110.0, ++)
6) Dallas Drillers (107.1, -)
7) Maine Guides (103.8, -)
8) Los Angeles Dinos (102.9, -)
9) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (96.3, o)
10) Pittsburgh Millers (94.6, +)
11) Pawtucket Patriots (91.4, +)
12) Wilmington Wildcats (88.1, +)
13) Baltimore Bulldogs (87.8, ++)
14) Indianapolis Clowns (85.6, -)
15) Windy City Blues (84.7, o)
16) Toronto Canadians (81.0, --)
17) Carolina Tobs (79.8, -)
18) Batavia Muckdogs (76.6, +)
19) Denver Bulls (75.7, -)
20) Syracuse Snappers (71.2, +)
21) Montreal Exports (70.0, -)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (65.7, +)
23) New York Cyclones (64.6, o)
24) Phoenix Roadrunners (60.9, -)
Performance of the Week
1B Adrian Gramling - The former star of the Bats came to Seattle in 2051 and has showed no signs of slowing down. This past week he turned in the 4th best hitting performance of the season when he tallied up five hits and five RBI in an 11-4 victory over Phoenix. On the season he's hitting .299 with 29 HR, 98 RBI and a 151 OPS+.
Prospect of the Week
2B Julius Simpson - Scouts state that "he has all the tools to develop into an elite second basemen" and coaches agree. All though he might end up playing 3B, or even a corner outfield spot, his bat is what is making everyone talk. He struggled his freshman year (.243, 6 HR, 21 RBI) so we're excited to see what the future holds.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. We had another cycle this week as Drillers outfielder Jakob Lopez delivered the goods on September 17th again Toronto. "It was a good day for that to happen," a beaming Lopez said after the game. "I really got some good looks and delivered. Sometimes you're just on." He struck out in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, hit an RBI double in the 5th, hit a two-run home run in the 7th and tripled in the 9th. On the year Lopez is hitting .268 with 28 HR and 103 RBI. The 3x All-Star helped lead California to the 2043 Brewmasters, and would love nothing more than to do the same for Dallas this season.
2. Congrats to Dominique Graham who knocked in his 1500th career RBI on September 18th against Montreal. In the bottom of the 3rd he smashed a 417 foot two-run home run that put the Millers up 2-1, a game they eventually won 3-2. Graham is the 25th player in the history of the league to reach 1500 RBI. At 36 years old he's still racking up the numbers though, as this season he's hitting .301 with 27 HR and 63 RBI. He will be a free agent after this season but his agent believes the 8x All-Star is due for another big pay day.
3. The post game locker room celebrations have kicked off as several teams have now clinched a playoff spot. The Washington Bats were first, and have won the Stout. Also in the Import we have Seattle, California, and Los Angeles that are postseason bound. The other two spots should belong to Baltimore and Carolina as they sit at 98.9% and 99.4% respectively. In the Domestic it appears Maine will win the Ale (99.8%), but the Dallas/New Orleans slugfest is far from over as they both sit at 93-59. The loser of that fight is guaranteed to be the top wildcard, so that leaves three spots for SDR, Pittsburgh, Pawtucket, Hartford, Indy and Toronto.
4. New York and Baltimore played a nine inning game on September 15th that had 27 runs, 32 hits, six lead changes, and literally came down to the last swing. The Cyclones had a 3-0 lead in the second when Baltimore tied it up with a Moussa Evans double to knock in two, then later scored himself. New York took the lead back in the fourth when Tavin Kang scored off of an Alek Maniaci single. Baltimore answered back in the fifth though with a huge five run inning to go up 8-4.
Then in the seventh the Cyclones came roaring back with seven runs...all with two outs. They went single, single, single (error), walk, walk, double, and finally a 3-run home run by Kang to go up 11-8. Baltimore scored in the bottom of the seventh, but New York answered back in the top of the 8th...so 12-9 Cyclones. The Bulldogs proceed to tie it up again, with four singles and a triple that led to three runs, before in the top of the 9th New York took the lead when Dalton Hamilton scored off an error by catcher Lawrence Caufield.
In the bottom of the ninth Cyclones closer Tyree Hines came in and struck out the first two Bulldog batters. A single by James 'Handyman' Hylton kept their hopes alive, and Beaumont Sanchez walked on five pitchers to bring up Garry Castonguay. On the second pitch he ripped the ball down the third base line. In came Hylton as Sanchez raced around second to third. By the time left fielder Alonzo Wiles got to the ball, Sanchez was heading home. Wiles didn't even attempt the throw, Sanchez slid into home, and the crowd over 30k went crazy. The game, much like this excerpt, was finally over.
5. What's on tap? How about New Orleans at Dallas for the Lager crown? All though it won't settle the division quite yet, it could go a long way in deciding it. The Voodoo have won six of the nine games this season, and this is the final (and deciding) match-up of the regular season. With Indy traveling to Pittsburgh, Hartford coming to Maine, then Maine heading to New Orleans...well a lot is going to be settled this week in the wild Domestic wildcard race. Over in the Import, Washington travels to California. That Bats should be resting most of their starters, while California is fighting for the division crown. They are even at four a piece this season, and to be honest when these two meet anything can happen.
Stat of the Week
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